William Wright Abbot III (May 20, 1922 – August 31, 2009) was an American archivist and historian, widely noted for his work compiling and editing The Washington Papers.
Abbot's career as a teacher began when he was assigned to teach celestial navigation to young naval cadets at Duke University in the spring of 1946; he studied under Charles Sydnor.
Abbot then went back to Duke University to study history under the GI Bill and earned his master's and doctorate degrees.
[2] During World War II, Abbot served in small naval ships and saw service in the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean and Adriatic seas.
He later remarked that he had reached the height of his personal authority at age 22, when, while serving in the Pacific theater, he was in charge of SC-504, a 110-foot (34 m) submarine chaser.
[5][a] This project differs from earlier attempts to chronicle and edit Washington's papers due to its greater depth of coverage.
It is considered the leading authority on Governors Reynolds, Ellis and Wright and the most important work covering Georgia's history.